To explore the idea, I will be using the character of Mark Cohen from the musical “Rent.” Mark wants to make a meaningful documentary about the homeless and HIV-positive in New York City. His career takes off when he films a riot at a performance protesting the closing of a tent city and sells his footage to the local news.
Producer Alexi Darling sees his footage and offers him a deal (the woman starting at 0:19) to produce regular segments on her news show “ Buzzline.” Mark comments how sleazy “Buzzline” is but eventually “ sells his soul for three grand a segment.”
Near the end of the musical, Mark examines his life (“What You Own”) and ultimately takes a stand, quitting “Buzzline” to work on his documentary.His story raises three questions for me:
1) Should money rule your life? Where is the line for journalists between compassion/ finding stories that matter and making ends meet by covering whatever story the boss wants? In the SPJ Code, journalists are told to act independently by not accepting money or favors from other organizations, but what if your own organization is paying you to produce sleaze to keep their high ratings?
2) What is the value of tabloid news? Before the start of “What You Own,” Mark introduces his next segment as “Vampire Welfare Queens Who Are Compulsive Bowlers.” As a veritable journalist, he cannot live with himself in this role. He wanted to be a filmmaker who made a difference, but ended up as corporate America’s lackey. When he, and so many others like him, could be covering stories that matter, why are they practically forced to work for organizations that make the ratings? Can this tabloid news style even be called news at all?
3) When should a journalist decide enough is enough? Obviously, it’s important to be able to pay the bills in any job. But where is the ethical line or the line to be true to oneself? Honestly, I don’t know if I have the guts Mark did to quit his day job and pursue his real interest.
Overall, Mark Cohen is a great examination of modern journalists, especially the rookies who still dream of making a difference. He is exploited by producers (Alexi) who want cheap talent. He is exploited by businessmen who want positive press (a former roommate Benny Coffin pays his rent in a charity stunt). He is exploited by performance artists who want publicity, period (his ex Maureen Johnson wants to stage a protest so that Mark can film it). Everyone around Mark realizes he is their ticket to getting on the nightly news, and he simply wants to improve conditions for everyone through his documentary of the homeless and the HIV-positive New Yorkers. The song "Halloween" covers his inner struggle with always being the observer in the group and trying to remain objective, although the stories he films are very emotional. How should he pick which stories are told? In "Goodbye Love," his roommate Roger accuses, "You pretend to create and observe when you really detach from feeling alive." The ultimate dilemma for Mark is: stand up for what I believe in or pay the Rent?
